


14 Days

by orphan_account



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon, Soulmates, Young Royai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When the people they love have left them behind, Roy and Riza don't know what love is, or what to make of their soulmates.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Kudos: 26





	14 Days

1 —

When the sun rose, Riza would tiptoe to her father’s study and find him there with a book between his nose. A lot of the time, she would see him drawing undecipherable symbols she has come to know as ‘alchemy’ in his journals. His back turned to her, a tray of food would leave her hands. Silence would follow as she walked out of the dimly-lit room.

This scene was ever-so-familiar to her. She led her life quietly; did what a young girl was expected to do. But there can only be so much to do in that dilapidated home. Often, she scaled the tall bookshelf that stood near her bed. Owing to her father’s profession, he boasted a large collection of books. Sometimes, she would find dusty, neglected books about military affairs that she would spend several hours engrossed in.

  
But one night, when she drifted to sleep, her life was everything but quiet. She dreamt of a teenage boy, in a boisterous bar filled with boisterous women. They wore tops that left little to the imagination, scarves that rested gracefully around their necks and wore a dark shade of red on their lips. She dreamt of him, in the midst of all that noise, flipping through the pages of a book that looked similar to her father’s work. Despite her apathy unwavering, she could feel his fervent interest and passion coarse through her veins, as if she was a part of him, as if he were real. 

She woke up the next morning and thought nothing of the dream. Without question, she got up, made her bed and started cooking. 

2 —

“I might have been reading too much about alchemy,” Roy commented, pausing to chew on his peas. “I’ve started dreaming about it.”

The gruff woman in front of him chuckled softly as she read a newspaper. “It seems that you’ve been working hard, Roy Boy,” 

“I just turned 18, Madame, I don’t see the need for a nickname anymore,” He scoffed, the playful smile on his face wiping off any trace of annoyance in his statement. He finished up his breakfast and placed his knife and fork neatly on his plate. “Speaking of alchemy, has Officer Grumman informed you of anything I could do to enhance my application?” 

Madame Christmas shook her head. “You ought to work on your fundamentals first. That said, I’ll tell you when a letter arrives.” 

  
  


4 —

Riza rolled around in her bed, hugged her pillow and thought about the day’s events. “Grandfather must have a lot of money to be able to sway father into accepting another apprenticeship.” She thought. She figured it was high time her father made use of his talents for something good for once, instead of using it as an excuse to shut everyone out. It was why her mother left, after all.

  
  
  
  


He appeared in Riza’s dream once more. But this time, he was alone. She could feel his eyes wander towards the other orphans playing in the distance. The nuns had always watched over them like a shadow, stern and unmoving. Yet none came to him. 

He had always assumed it was because of the colour of his hair. Or maybe it was because of the way his eyes slanted slightly upwards -- both of the features ultimately out of his control. A great emptiness that sat in the back of his head seeped into his system. The isolation that gripped at him was not unfamiliar to her, and she would sympathise with him if she could, if only her thoughts weren’t interrupted by a soft hand reaching onto his small frame. 

He looked up and saw a person, with hair and eyes as dark as his own. A heavyset woman, she donned a brown coat and his eyes trailed to the pieces of paper in her hands. He jolted, turning to the young nun behind her. A smile tugged at her lips. 

The woman finally spoke. 

“It’s time to go home, Roy.” 

7 —

Fatigue weighed down heavily on the teenage boy's limbs. He hadn’t been able to sleep after waking up from his dream. He vividly remembered the resounding sound of a woman’s voice. 

“I am leaving, Riza.”

Mouth set in a hard line, her voice was small yet resolute. The dream, much like a memory, made him uncomfortable. In fact, all of them did. However, there was a silent longing that overcame him every time he thought about her, or these dreams. He ate breakfast with his eyebrows furrowed, picking incessantly at the mashed potatoes on his plate. 

“Is something bothering you?” 

“Yeah, you’re not usually this quiet--” 

As soon as he realised that he was being asked a question, he glanced at them distantly and answered a simple “No, nothing”. But his sisters knew better than that, and it was not unlike them to pry even more. 

“I’ve been having intense dreams about… someone’s life for the past week or so,” Roy rambled on, eyes narrowed. “I’ve been hearing boys in my school talk about it but I never thought I’d have one, too.”

“Nonsense! Everyone has a soulmate—"

“Yeah, and she’d make you so happy!” 

_But what if I can’t make her happy?_ He wanted to say, but the conversation fell silent. 

10 —

Riza woke with a start. It was that boy again. 

She quickly got out of bed, lit up a candle and grabbed the nearest piece of paper on her table and her quill pen. With uncharacteristic crude penmanship, she made a list of every time she saw him (10 times) and proceeded to search her bookshelf for answers. Her index finger trailed the books and she could feel dust collect on her fingertips but she was too tired to process it, and too tired to care. 

After what seemed like twelve eternities, she finally found the book that she had been looking for. She grabbed it from the confines of the shelf, scanned the content page and flipped to the relevant chapter — all in one inhale. While this went on, her mind raced and spun in ways that she did not understand, and she did not have the time to. 

She read and reread the chapter as fast as she could. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes sealed shut. 

_“...Soulmates’ memories are known to surface in the form of dreams, 14 days before they meet.This phenomenon is often observed in adolescents age 11-18,_ _usually during puberty.”_

  
  


In an instant, she gathered everything that she could remember from her dreams: his aspirations to become a state alchemist, an orphanage, waiting for a letter and—

“Roy.” She whispered to herself. “Roy, Roy, Roy…” The singular syllable slid off her tongue perfectly. It was a name, his name. 

Predictably, she could not go back to sleep after that.

13 —

Roy was studying when he heard the knock on his door. It creaked open, and in came Madame Christmas, waving an opened envelope in her hand. He knew exactly what it was. The months that he had waited led up to this very moment. 

He leaned forward on his chair. “So? What did he say?”

A smile crept up on the woman’s face. “He wants you to seek apprenticeship from an esteemed alchemist from East City.” 

Roy got up excitedly and wrapped his arms around his foster mother. “I’ll make you proud, I promise.” 

“Yes, yes,” She gently pushed him away (He was a bit too touchy for her taste, but appreciated the occasional hugs nonetheless). “You better pack your bags now and leave on the first train to the East in the morning.”

Roy did as he was told and stood up to grab a briefcase under his bed. Before she left, she spoke once more, “Oh, and your sisters told me about your… dreams. Write to me about her when you meet her, alright?”

14 —

Riza tried to convince herself that tomorrow was like any other day and her brain flirted with the idea that soulmates were inconsequential. After all, father and mother were soulmates, but that didn’t work out. Hence to her, it was not a crazy idea for her and her soulmate not to get along. 

Try as she might, those thoughts did not stop her from waiting at the door. She had donned her best dress, navy blue and ironed, just for today. Her bangs fell gently on her eyes and she combed her hair back neatly.

It was only a matter of time now.

  
  
  
  
  


14

  
  


Deep down, he knew that this day would come. He arrived at East City in one piece, fished out a slip of paper containing an address and examined the map. It seemed to be a far walk from the station. He supposed he could use this time to think.

Roy did not know that much about love. As far as he could remember, he had been abandoned by those who were supposed to show him what that emotion entailed. So, when his sisters discussed it with the frivolity that they had, he thought that they could never understand it. This was probably why, as he approached the quaint village, he started fidgeting with the flimsy piece of paper and didn’t realise he had fully crumpled it. 

He arrived. The house was large and decrepit, but the weeds on their lawn seemed to have been trimmed evenly. There were windows on the second floor, yellowed by time. Deep in thought, he took cautious steps across the dirt trail.

Step. _What am I to say to her?_

Step. _What if I mess up?_

Step. _Oh God, I’m going to die here, aren’t I?_

Before he knew it, he was at the door. He held his breath and knocked. 

The door creaked open and Roy was welcomed with light blonde hair and deep, widened brown eyes. His mouth dry, he watched dumbfounded as she grabbed a fistful of her dress, her lips slightly parted. 

She started speaking. 

“You must be Roy--”

“And you must be Riza.”


End file.
